I54 ^^ '^^^ DIFFERENT SORTS OF UOOB. 



the disorders which are found in the brocoli and turnip. 

 In the brocoli the first apparent symptoms area shrivelling 

 and drooping in the stem of the plant ; it for sometime 

 languishes like a consumptive patient, and then dies after a 

 long illness. Curious to find what could be the cause of 

 this disorder, and its effects on the interior of the plant, 

 and why the plartt ceased to gain that nourishment, which 

 the earth seemed so fitted to give ; I resolved to dissect the 

 plant with care. To prepare myself for thoroughly under- 



Disorder of standing it, I took a brocoli plant growing in other ground, 



tnebiocoli. ^j-jj perfectly healthy, dissecting and drawing it, as I give 

 it at fig. 1, plate V. It will be seen how many radicles it 

 has, how many wood vessels, both in the root and stem. I 

 now laid open the diseased plant with the greatest care : 

 but hov/ excessive was my surprise to find, that almost all 

 the wood vessels had disappeared, tliough the plant was 

 twice the size of the healthy brocoli, and of a bulbous form 

 in the root, see fig, 2 ; that in place of the wood vessels, I 

 could see only tubercles filled with water, and that, instead 

 of near a hundred radicles, two solitary ones, with their ap- 

 propriate wood vessels, were all the plant had to bring it 

 support. The bulbs of water were composed of a loose 

 matter something like the pith of trees, but very large, and 

 without one ligneous particle ; in short the complaint ap* 



The cause in pears like a dropsy in the plant. From various trials it was 



the earth and i^jj^ ^^ j^g gg^^^ ^j^^j. ^|^g defect arose from the earth ; since 



not m the f ' 



plant. if pease, beans, vetches, &c. were substituted for the bro- 



coli, turnip, or potato, they would grow admirably, but 

 the same disorder would equally attach to those vegetables 

 just named, if placed in that earth. The cause then was the 

 failure of suitable nourishment for those plants in that 

 ground; and its consequences were the decay of the parts 

 intended to bring that sort of sap, which the ground was not 

 ■ able to bestow. This shows also, that there is a great va- 

 riety in the sap, though we are not able to discover it; 

 inde'fed in our trials so much of the most important and deli- 

 cate essence may evaporate, during the first attempt to as- 



Tngredients of certain the ingredients, that we cannot thoroughly trust to 



the sap not our knowing all that enters into the composirion of this 

 Known. .... _ . , ■ * , . , 



astonishing mixture, i cannot conceive that any thmg bnt.^ 



" . decay 



